Robert, here's a Seattle based Bio-tech that's doing well.
Bought it this morning @ 30.
>SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 6, 2000--
Results published in the Proceedings
of the National Academy of Sciences
NeoRx Corporation (Nasdaq:NERX) today announced publication of a peer-reviewed manuscript in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reporting that a single dose of its proprietary Pretarget(R) technology cured established human lung (10/10 animals), colon (10/10 animals) and breast cancers (8/10 animals) implanted in mice. To be judged a cure, both complete disappearance of the tumor and absence of any re-growth for at least one year were required. These results were achieved with a single dose of radioactivity developed with NeoRx's proprietary Pretarget(R) technology. The manuscript appears in the February 15, 2000 issue of the journal.
"The key finding in these experiments was the ability to actually cure large, established tumors using the higher doses of radiation that can be safely administered with our Pretarget(R) technology," said Don Axworthy, NeoRx scientist and lead author on the paper. "Unlike other therapies that have been reported to be curative in animals, Pretarget(R) effected cures with only a single administration. We are looking forward to testing our latest Pretarget(R) therapy, with the incorporation of various improvements we have made since the original animal studies were done, in the clinic later this year."
In the manuscript, NeoRx scientists compared Pretarget(R) technology to the conventional targeting approach used by others. With Pretarget(R), the targeting antibody and radiation are injected separately and at different times, and join at tumor sites where the antibody has pre-localized. Radiation that does not join the antibody is rapidly eliminated from the body. This brief exposure of normal organs permits higher doses than the conventional approach to be administered safely, as has been shown in these animal trials and in patients. By contrast, the conventional approach links the radiation (a small drug) to the large antibody molecule, irradiating normal tissues such as bone marrow as it circulates for prolonged periods in the blood. Doses using the conventional approach are limited by normal organ exposure.
"Several groups have products under development using the conventional approach to radiotherapy," said Paul G. Abrams, M.D., J.D., NeoRx's chief executive officer. "We expect to begin formal Phase I trials with at least one Pretarget(R) product this year. Using a prototype Pretarget(R) product in patients with lymphoma, we have already observed 3 complete remissions (two of which occurred in patients who had progressed after high dose therapy and stem cell transplantation) in the 7 patients treated. As in the animal studies reported in our manuscript, these responses were observed after a single dose of Pretarget(R) Moreover, we began our clinical study at a dose higher than the maximum tolerated dose of conventional radiotherapy products, yet we did not see any clinically significant toxicity"
NeoRx recently announced the receipt of a grant from the National Cancer Institute that could total $950,000 to assist in bringing its Pretarget(R) Lymphoma product to the clinic. The Company owns or has in-licensed the basic Pretarget(R) patents (approved in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan) and has an additional 25 issued or allowed US patents in Pretarget(R). |
